Wes,

> Maybe, but at the expense of carcinogens/mutagens being created in the
> cooking process.

The "carcinogens/mutagens" topic is quite complex and I don't wish to
discuss it now.

> I've also read that certain amino acids are altered,
> made less bioavailable, and/or greatly reduced in cooked proteins.

Examples? Which amino acids, which foods, which cooking temperature
and how many % reduction?

Remark: apparently, COOKED egg WHITES (without the yolk) have a
sufficiently good protein value for many bodybuilders. I am not
expressing any opinion on whether eating high amounts of cooked egg
whites like that is healthy or not, just saying that if there is any
protein loss, we can consider it as negligible.

> Yes, body builders use raw (whole) eggs. Raw whole eggs have the highest
> biological value (protein) out of all the foods (outside of mother's
> milk).

Here are a few percentages of protein (by calories). All foods are
raw.

chicken breasts (without skin): 90%
sole: 88%
whole eggs: 35%

[did you forget that meat and fish are foods?]

> So this makes sense. A whole egg contains only 4.5 grams of fat.
> Mostly polyunsaturated omega 6.

From the USDA nutrient database
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/cgi-bin/list_nut.pl

a medium egg (44 grams) has 1.36 grams saturated, 1.68 grams
monounsaturated and 0.60 grams polyunsaturated. Therefore,
polyunsaturated fats constitute only 16% of total fat.

> And raw fats are beneficial. I eat lots
> of raw fats and have a lean body. Hardly any body fat at all.

It would prove something if you became obese when replacing raw nuts
with roasted nuts. Otherwise, I sure can find many people eating
pizzas and ice-cream and who have a lean body.

> Is taste all that matters? If so, go for the pizzas and ice cream.

Not "all" that matters, but you can't say taste in not important when
dealing with food. If you don't like the taste of something, you'll
tend to eat very little of it, and it might become very difficult or
even impossible to achieve a balanced diet. Now, of course taste is
not the only important aspect. I myself have been 100% raw for one year,
and found that my body can tolerate well SOME cooked foods, but not
ALL. A soft-boiled egg is OK for me, but not heavily salted foods or
bakery products, for instance.

> Heaven help us if you can somehow compare luscious ripe fruit to 'aged'
> meat -- carrion (dead, putrefying flesh: Webster's).

Webster's:
     to age = to acquire a desirable quality (as mellowness or ripeness) by
     standing undisturbed for some time <letting cheese age>

Aging is a chemical process different from rotting. Once the outer
part of a piece of meat is dry, the meat ages and doesn't rot. Like
you, I was at first put off by the idea of eating raw meat, but once
you are hooked...


--Jean-Louis Tu <[log in to unmask]>